


The Herpetologist

by Anant



Category: Greek and Roman Mythology
Genre: Asexuality, Bisexuality, Cuddles, F/F, Fantasy, Fluff, Injury Recovery, Language, Major Character Injury, Mentions of Rape, Other, Rape Recovery, Romance, Triggers, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-14
Updated: 2018-08-24
Packaged: 2019-06-24 13:52:44
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,387
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15631992
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anant/pseuds/Anant
Summary: Contrary to popular belief, medusa was not cursed by Athena. As she lay cold and violated on the temple floor Athena gave her a gift, no man could ever hurt her again. After she and Perseus had faked her death so long ago she had lived peacefully under the city of New York... that is until the annual pride parade.Medusa falls madly in love with a blind herpetologist who seems to have stumbled into her lair.





	1. Lynn: Attacked

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lynn (Our main character) heads out for her very first time to the New York pride celebration. While she's there however she runs into violent protesters. She heads home and is attacked there as well. She's blinded and left helpless, but little does she know someone, or something is watching out for her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello there!! This is my first official story I have posted anywhere and I'm so very exited about ti so thanks for reading!!
> 
> Mild trigger warnings! This chapter does include some violence but it is not heavily detailed.

  I _loved_ pride. I remember being 13 years old and staring wistfully out my window, waiting for the day I could join the colorful festivities. Of course my grandmother had never allowed it. 

"Away from the window!" she'd screech from the kitchen waving a spoon angrily, but I'd linger, looking out one last time at the sea of people celebrating nothing other than themselves, their triumphs, their flaws, their _beauty._ And now here I was, long gone was the window separating me from my people, lone gone was the grandmother telling me not to look. The music blared and the people danced, moshing together in the crowed streets. Someone wrapped a rainbow flag around my shoulders and disappeared into the crowd. I gripped the colorful fabric tightly and double knotted the strings around my neck.  _I'm finally here._ After so many years I could stop pretending, the day after she'd died I'd walked out of the church and never looked back. I spread my arms and ginned up at the stars, spinning on the balls of my feet....

 

Then the screaming started...

The crowd barreled past, people pushed fast desperate to escape, something. I pushed against the crowd, flags lay abandoned on the streets in the desperate attempt to flee. Sirens wailed as the last of the people rushed past, people carrying crosses and waving signs rounded the corner, some were even armed with bats and hammers, their angry voices hurling insults towards us. Riot officers pushed through the crowd to stand in-front of the newcomers.  _Time to go_ , I though frantically as I turned and jogged away from the protesters. A few other stragglers lingered in the streets as we headed towards the subway taking a last look around.

I stepped off the train and turned into my apartment complex, it wasn't the best place in town but working an entry level job at the zoo didn't cover the most luxurious of  spaces. My building was at the top floor, which meant i had plenty of room for a garden thanks to roof access, but the construction nearby hadl really made going outside a chore thanks to the stench of the sewer's they were digging into. As I walked up to the door I realized I still had the flag wrapped around my shoulders, I'd quite literally put a target on my back I realized just as a rock slammed into my back. I whirled around to see three guys standing a few feet away, one wore a cruel smirk as he bounced another stone in his hand. It would take too long to open the door and if I tried they'd be on me in a second. I turned and sprinted towards the construction site. "Hey, get back here!" they snarled as I dropped down into the freshly turned earth. I darted between the heavy machinery as their footsteps thundered behind me. My heart raced as I ducked behind a crane. _What if they catch me,_ my breath came in short gasps as I peeked around the side of the vibrant yellow truck. A light breeze blew gently as I pressed my back to the truck and let out a sigh of relief. 

"Thought you'd get away that easy bitch" I shrieked at the voice and bolted forward, "Not so fast" the voice hissed as I was jerked backwards. I whipped around and something splashed into my eyes, "Try running from that." He cackled. I lashed out blindly and my fist connected with something solid. I turned and ran, eyes squinted tightly shut, I stumbled away struggling to gain my balance. My whole face felt like it was on fire. Voices suddenly echoed from somewhere nearby, they were still coming. I struggled to wipe my face clean but the burning sensation still itched under my eyelids.  _Water,_ I stood up and listened to the steady trickle of water coming somewhere from nearby. _In chemistry we were taught if you got chemicals in your eyes to flush hem with water,_ I though to myself as I felt my way towards the water. 

My feet started to move of there own accord on a slippery incline and my hands scrabbled for a hold on the fresh concrete. My socks became heavy as flowing water breached the mesh covering my shoes. I slid down into the shallow stream of water and the noxious smell hit my nose.  _This is sewer water,_ I brought my hand to my nose and nearly choked on the rancid oder. Did I really want to get my face any closer to _that_? Then again I didn't really have any other choice. I dunked my head in the filthy water and forced my eyes open, all i could see was black. I came up quickly for air and shoved my face back in. This time a hand held down my face. I lashed out at my attacker screaming into the foul water with the rest of my strength. The hand gripped my hair and I could breathe again, voices around me cackled with glee their crow-like laughter making me flinch. I opened my mouth to scream, for help or just one last battle cry, I guess I'll never know. My head was shoved back into the shallow water and my head connected with concrete, the last thing I remembered as my consciousness faded was the taste of blood in my mouth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Character ages:  
> Lynn: 21  
> Medusa: *never ask a lady her age*


	2. Medusa:

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yayyyy, Medusa comes to Lynn's rescue and then she takes her to her lair to help to treat her wounds! Also CPR, yayyyyy!

I had lived under cities my entire life seeing as no matter what time period I was in people still seemed to fear people with snakes for hair and the ability to turn men to stone. I affectionately touched the graffiti that littered the cave wall, the teens that ventured down into the belly of the city certainly had a unique sense of art, much more colorful than that of the Greek artists. My long tail scraped over the stone behind me as I moved through the stone tunnel, the sewer system of New York might not be the most beautiful place to live but it certainly had it's moments.

I'd had come to New York along with thousands of other immigrants through Ellis Island, like many others I managed to sneak through the system and make my way into the city. I'd lived under the city ever since, It had been a fairly quiet life, the only people to even venture into my domain were usually foolish teens and repair men. Occasionally I would find a runaway, and in that case I was always happy to help them find their way. But today was something different, I had wandered to where the humans had begun replacing old sewer lines with new ones when I heard someone splashing in the runoff water from the pipes.I curiously peeked around the corner, the snakes starting to stir on my neck. Sure enough a young girl, though they all looked young to me, was plunging her face into the murky water. From what I had guessed the sewers didn't smell very great, but seeing as I navigated different than humans it didn't bother me. So why on earth was she dunking her face in the foul water? I stared at her puzzled, when three men quietly slid into the stream behind her, I watched as they gripped her head and smashed it into the concrete making her body go limp in the water. 

There were many things I could tolerate within my lair, but _this_ was most certainly not one of them. I moved out into the open and whipped off the tinted glasses than concealed my eyes. The attackers turned to me and horror filled their faces, "What the he-" I watched as the stone bled from their eyes, quickly encasing their horror-stricken faces and preserving their fear in the speckled black stone. 

 

I moved with care out of the cover of the tunnels towards the water, re-covering my eyes with the glasses. I reached the water's edge and lifted the girl out gently with my tail, she hung limply in my grasp. I laid her on the surface of the concrete and tilted her head to the side, she remained still. I groaned inwardly as I bent down further beside her,  _I'm going have to give this idiot CPR aren't I?_ What? Even as a primordial monster learning how to save a life is never a bad thing. I placed my hands firmly on her chest and started pumping...

 

Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin' alive, stayin' alive

Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin' alive

This was quite possibly the dumbest thing I'd ever done. I reached up to plug her nose and lowered my mouth to her's. _Did this count as kissing? I mean technically yes but I was only doing it to save her life?_ I shook off my embarrassment and pressed my mouth to her's, startled at it's warmth. Suddenly her chest heaved and her head tilted to the side water flowing out of her mouth. Her breaths were quick as her body quivered on the pavement. She wouldn't survive the night if I left her. My teeth tugged at the bottom of my lip as I looked at her,  _here goes nothing I guess._ I lifted her into my arms, her body as light as a  feather in my arms. I took a last look at the statues that now stood erect in the water before moving back into the safety of the tunnels.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When people look into her eyes they turn into a sharp granite-like stone of varying colors.
> 
> Medusa can change her form so that she had human legs in place of her long tail, hover she prefers to have her tail for self defense.
> 
> She has snake hair 24/7 and usually wears tinted sunglasses to prevent turning people to stone. She also wears a pale pink "I love NY" T-shirt with holes cut in the back to make room for her golden wings.


	3. Lynn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lynn wakes up in a strange place wrapped in blankets and completely blind. She meets her rescuer and ends up coming back again. And again. And again... we are also introduced to a brand new side character named Miss Lerna!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IM NOT DEAD!!!! Yeah sorry I haven't updated in roughly a century (Finals man) but I'm hoping to update more frequently form now on!

_"Don't wanna go to work" ,_ I though as I snuggled deeper into the warm blankets that surrounded me, letting myself enjoy the calming warmth that spread over me. Everything seemed perfect, even the damp air of the sewer didn't smell half bad.

Wait.

What did I just think?

I bolted upright, yep definitely the sewer...This really wasn't my week was it? I opened my eyes to see whe- I couldn't see. I stretched my eyes wide and lifted my hand towards my face. Bile rose in my stomach as my fingers brushed my face. I stumbled out of the nest of blankets before crumpling to the ground, head spinning. This was going to harder than I thought. 

My fingers pressed against the cold stone floors as I crawled along the tunnel. I'd tried to stand earlier and ended up vomiting on the floor and almost passing out. Needless to say I hand't tried that again. Water soaked through my good jeans as I struggled along, nothing but the steady drip of water to lead me forward. I sat up and listened for any sign of well...anything. But nothing but water and filthy air reached my senses. I had never longed for the sounds of the city more than I did now, I missed the sounds of traffic on my way to work, the bustle of my favorite coffee shop on the corner, _god I could go for some coffee._ Tears rolled down my cheeks as I sat in the rancid water, today was supposed to be a good day, a new job and fresh start in the city I loved. I couldn't stop the sob that escaped me, suddenly it was if a dam had broke and I let the tide of emotion flood over me. 

'Hey miss you ok?" A small voice asked from behind me. I instinctively turned towards the sound and shook my head. The voice crept closer, "Do you need help?" I nodded, "C-can you tell me where the hospital is?' I mumbled weakly, my voice rough. A small hand touched my shoulder and I flinched back, "Don't worry," the voice said, she was close enough that I could tell her voice belonged a young girl, "You're not far, and I can take you." she said grasping my hand. I pulled myself to my feet using the jagged walls for support. I followed unsteadily as she pulled me along hopefully towards help.

 

I clambered out of the sewer into what I could only pray was the hospital parking-lot. But apparently god wasn't listening today because a bell chimed and the smell of sage and Potpourri hit me hard. "I though you were taking me to a hospital." I mumbled groggily. "I am," the girl replied cheerily, " Lucy's the best healer this side of New York!" _Great,now If only I knew where this side of New York even was._

An old womans voice rang through the shop, " What'd ya bring home this tim-" she sighed, "This the one you lost?" 

"I-I didnt lose her," yet another voice grumbled defensively, "she ran off."  

"Ah yes the blind girl managed to escape the mighty Medusa." The girl giggled at the old womans false theatrics. "And you stop calling me an old woman, I have a name you know." 

I swallowed hard, "And that would be?" 

 

 

____________________________________________

                            **Medusa**  

 

 

"Ouch." The girl grumbled as Lerna, re-wrapped the bandages on her arm. " How bout a thanks instead," Lerna growled, yanking the bandages tighter and earning herself a Yelp from the girl, "Not just anyone will fix all these injuries for free you know." 

"I really appreciate it Miss Lerna." She said wincing as she shifted her arm. " You should really be thanking Em for bringing you all the way here." 

"Emile." The young nymph said as they shook hands. "I'm Lynn." She mumbled as they pulled apart. "And who are you?" She asked, twitching her head in my direction. 

I flinched back, "Um-I-Im just," Lerna rolled her eyes, " That's just Medusa." She said, inturuppting my flustered excuse for a greeting. "Shes the one that saved you." Emile singsonged. "Really?" Lynn said thoughtfully, " Well thanks, I guess I owe you one." She grinned reaching out for my hand. I took it carefully and felt a tingle of pleasure race down my spine at her warmth. 

Across the room Emile winked at me and mouthed,  _oooooooooooooooo._ I glared back at her but Em just grinned. "Would you guys mind if I used you phone?" Lynn asked suddenly, " I just realized no-one knows where I am or what happened to me or-" Lerna groaned, "Quit your panicking I'll get you the phone." As she headed to the back she gestured for me to follow. 

" You kissed her didn't you?" Lerna whispered, hand on her hips. "Wha- No. Lerna.I"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyyyyyyy, I'm back so just some clarification about the 2 new characters. 
> 
> Lerna: chooses to disguise herself as an old woman. However her true form is a Lernaean Hydra. Which is the same kind Hercules fought. 
> 
> Girl:


End file.
